Total Defense: did you notice?

[Li Shenron]

You can defend yourself as a standard action. You get a +4 dodge bonus to your AC for 1 round. Your AC improves at the start of this action. You can’t combine total defense with fighting defensively or with the benefit of the Combat Expertise feat (since both of those require you to declare an attack or full attack). You can’t make attacks of opportunity while using total defense.

In 3.0 it specifically stated that you could NOT do anything else except moving your speed when using Total Defense, although this mught have been overruled in FAQs I am not aware of.

In 3.5 it doesn't prevent you to switch the move with a MEA or take free actions, or to cast for example a Quickened Spell, am I right?

 

[Kae'Yoss]

In 3.5 it doesn't prevent you to switch the move with a MEA or take free actions, or to cast for example a Quickened Spell, am I right?

No. You can cast your Q spell and then go on the defensive.

 

[Li Shenron]

No. You can cast your Q spell and then go on the defensive.

Are you perhaps suggesting that you can't first go on the defensive (Standard action) then cast a Q spell (free action) and then move (MEA)? Or total defense + move + QS?

 

[Darklone]

It wouldn't make sense not to allow both. IMHO.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Are you perhaps suggesting that you can't first go on the defensive (Standard action) then cast a Q spell (free action) and then move (MEA)? Or total defense + move + QS?

No. You can line them up any way you like.

 

[Wylan]

Total Defense (add bonus), then move, what happens to AoO? Do you get your Total Defense bonus? I would think not, if that were the case, every character would go TD + move. I would imagine as soon as you moved the TD would be negated. I could see QS + move + TD, or move + QS + TD, thus ending in a defensive stance.

 

[Cyraneth]

Total Defense (add bonus), then move, what happens to AoO? Do you get your Total Defense bonus? I would think not, if that were the case, every character would go TD + move. I would imagine as soon as you moved the TD would be negated. I could see QS + move + TD, or move + QS + TD, thus ending in a defensive stance.

But it is not the "defensive stance" ability we're talking about. Total defense grants a bonus until it is your turn again, and it doesn't keep you from using [edit]any[/edit] actions, except fighting defensively, using Combat Expertise, and attacks of opportunity.

But why would a character with Combat Expertise ever use Total Defense? He can choose the fighting defensively option and boost his Armor Class with 5 points from Combat Expertise, gaining a +7 bonus (+8 with 5 ranks in Tumble), instead of a lousy +4 bonus, and furthermore, he can still make attacks of opportunity, althought at a -9 penalty. Fighting defensively and Combat Expertise stack (p. 140 in the PHB). If the DM demands that you make an attack (and don't just forfeit it), you can just attack the rock/grass/stick/whatever on the ground.

- Cyraneth

 

[Macbrea]

Probably, the reason they did that is so players would have more reason to actually go full defensive. Here is a perfect example when you might want to use it now.


Angelic the rogue takes a blow from the orc dropping her to the ground.
Rogar the ranger decided he must get his loved one to Fred the cleric.
Rogar goes full defensive and picks up the body of Angelic.
Next round Rogar crosses through 10 enemies while fighting full defensive.
Next round Rogar drop Angelic at the feet of Fred while fighting full defensively.

Perfect, example where in 3.5 you could do it, while in 3.0 you could not.

 

[Camarath]

It would be fun to use Quicker Than the Eye and Expert Tactician with the new 3.5 total defense. Unless I am mistaken, I think that this would also allow you to combine fighting defensively and Combat Expertise with total defense.

 

[Wylan]

Cyraneth,

How did Combat Expertise get into the equation? I was talking about AoO against the character using TD + move. Does he get his TD bonus against an AoO against him? If that is the case, every character would move in that way. If a character could go TD, then move, what good are Dodge and Mobility as feats?

I am not talking about fighting defensively; the character is just defending himself that is why I used the term “defensive stance”.

The way I look at it, if you are in Total Defense, that is all you are concentrating on, defending yourself. So when your move is finished, you go to TD until the start of your next turn.